DESPITE a large number of hoax and nuisance calls, a total of 389 incidents from over 1,300 calls (latest figures as the Star went to press) have been succesfully dealt with on Merseyside since 'Operation Fresco' kicked off last.
Army firecrews have been manning their Green Goddess engines ready to deal with alerts as regular firefighters took strike action.
In St Helens, the six-man Green Goddess crews have been kept busy as they attended a number of routine house fires in Parr, Sutton and Newton-le-Willows, with police escorts guiding them through the streets.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Blong heading up the military operation said: "Considering it has been one of the busiest periods in the history of Merseyside Fire Service, crews have coped admirably well. I would urge people to remember that we are operating on limited resources and the level of calls we received throughout the first day would have tested any fire service.
"I think we have done particularly well and I would like to say that we have been able to deal satisfactorily with all the incidents attended so far."
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